Podcasts

The Leftovers: There has been nothing else like the resolution to Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers this year. HBO’s best kept secret for over two years ends with a generous Australian epilogue that asks the viewer for one final perfect leap of faith.[let the mystery be]

Also: Master of None, Game of Thrones, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, GLOW, Westworld, The Handmaids Tale, The Good Place, Mindhunter.

Horizon: Zero Dawn: Somehow a developer who had been making mediocre shooters for Sony for the last decade was able to switch gears and create an almost perfect open-world action RPG. Robot dinosaurs, an exquisite learning curve and an iconic performance from Ashly Burch as Aloy.[gamespot review]

Also (because I bought a Switch in November): Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Whiskey – Joey Landreth: I discovered The Bros. Landreth’s debut album (2013’s Let It Lie) at the beginning of 2017, just in time to wait for about 2 weeks for Joey Landreth’s solo release. I cannot really describe my love for this roots-alt-country-blues-canadian-folk earworm without tell several long and depressing stories, so I’ll just say that my mate Wayne who is the only person who “follows” me on iTunes (yeah, you can!) wonders if I listen to anything else (I basically don’t).[live from stereobus] [the bros. landreth live in saskatoon]

Also: Something to Tell You – HAIM, Paper Heart – Hunter and the Bear

Is It On?: Buzzfeed Australia’s #auspol podcast, from Alice Workman and Lane Sainty (and previously Mark Di Stefano) has had a cracking first year, due in most part to the Australian parliament’s bonkers last 6 months or so. From “Duals” and “Actually it’s a Postal Survey” to “Gallery Whispers” and “Bin Juice”, the show is a great companion piece to obsessively looking for clues to the biennial collapse of the [insert government] party room.[it’s here]